Underneath the Shimmering Moon
by Darklordcomp
Summary: The Hearth's warming pageant is coming up and Rarity is given the unique opportunity to make Princess Luna a dress for the occasion.
"Sister, the Hearth's Warming pageant is just around the corner! Whatever shall we do?"

Celestia didn't bat an eye as she continued signing through Equestria's tax reforms, "It's still three weeks away, Luna. No need to get yourself worked up quite yet."

Luna paced back and forth across the great Alicorn-sized drawing room, ruffling her wings in agitation. Her own desk, covered in paperwork from days of foreign diplomatic meetings, all utterly ignored in the Lunar Princesses current predicament.

"Come now, sister," Celestia smiled patronizingly as she lowered her quill, "It's not like you to act the filly around this time of year. It's just a pageant, Lulu."

"Just a pageant...' Luna muttered, crunching up a ball of paper in her magic beside her, "But the first Hearth's Warming pageant _I will be making an appearance at_. And then there's the task of greeting all those important guests, and I haven't even started on my gifts list. What makes an appropriate gift these days anyway?!"

That gave Celestia pause for thought. Luna had become fully accepted into Equestria over the past years, with many ponies celebrating the new flare she had brought to the night sky in a way they never had before, but in a way, Luna was still very, very uncertain of her place in the world. Celestia smiled at her sister, the stalwart warrior in times of war and unforgiving upholder of the law in times of peace, wringing her hooves like a schoolfilly over a simple _play_. "Well sister, if it would make you feel better, we could… _update_ your wardrobe to suit the occasion?" She teased, chuckling as she returned to her work.

Luna's wings flared in good-natured annoyance as she smirked at her sibling, "Oh, and what of your own, miss 'shawls are still in season'? You could do with some new styles yourself; that regalia is starting to look dated."

Celestia laughed at her sister's rebuttal, finally giving up on getting anything constructive done for the evening, "Oh, I suppose you're right, Luna, but do you know how hard it is to get a formal gown done in my size? Especially when not a single designer dares take the correct measurements of me. It's quite frustrating, actually."

Luna paused in her pacing, a look of surprise across her features, "...Really? I would have thought designers would be falling over themselves to have one of their creations worn by royalty."

"But most of them don't feel at all comfortable getting so close to my person," Celestia shrugged. She smiled reassuringly and opened the door to her chambers, "It's simply the way it is, sister, I've long stopped trying. We are, in the minds of the populace, unfortunately so unattainable that nopony would risk even trying. Fear not sister. Your worries will work themselves out in the end."

Celestia left the room, leaving Luna to sit and ponder. Slowly, an Idea came to her, and she grinned.

"I know what I shall be getting for you, my dear sister."

* * *

"Sweetie Belle! Where did you put my gems?" Rarity cried as she rushed about her boutique, pieces of fabric and ribbon floating in every direction, trying to catch up to the one controlling them.

Sweetie Belle peeked down the stairway "I think you left them by the door, Rarity," she said as she prepared to dash through the ribbon-snared boutique. "I'm going out with the girls, I'll be back later!"

Rarity didn't seem to hear her sister leave, running to and fro the shop gathering supplies. "Oh Opal whatever shall I do?!" she asked as she came to a halt, all of the fabric and other items floating around her, "I've received an order for one 'Sunny Skies' of Canterlot, and I don't know what to make of these measurements!"

Opal for her part just stared at her owner and then proceeded to lick her paws, ignoring the unicorns whining.

"I mean look at these figures! According to these measurements, she would be over eight hooves at the wither! _The wither!_ And whoever took these clearly was confused; they've put measurements for both wingspan and stipulated that any hat must be horn-friendly. This makes no sense. Why, I'd think it was a hoax if not for the ticket to Canterlot for a private measuring in just two days! Hmm...I'm sure they've just made a mistake on here, if I didn't know better, I'd think they'd be having me measuring an Alicorn!" Rarity laughed at her little joke, making her way to the kitchen for some tea. But then she stopped.

The items around her feel to the ground in a shocked clatter as Rarity's pupils dilated.

"...Oh no…"

Rarity wrung her hooves nervously as the train rattled along the tracks. She glanced nervously out the compartment's window at the rapidly approaching city against the was furiously listing off all the eight hooves high ponies she knew and not many came to mind.

"Fleur De Lis was that tall, right?" Rarity questioned frantically, hoping for an answer from the air. "I mean who else do I know that might have measurements like this!? And wings...and a horn...Twilight isn't that tall, and I know Cadence would never ask for a dress when she isn't even coming to the pageant! But why send me an anonymous request, then? Ohhh…" Her eye twitched, her normally beautiful hair disheveled and getting frizzier by every passing minute.

She felt she understood how Twilight would feel during her...worse days.

Rarity jumped and gave a loud squeak as the entire train suddenly went dark, and a vast roaring filled her ears. It took a moment of terrified cowering on the seat before she realized the train had only gone into a tunnel.

She took a deep breath, "Come on Rarity, chip up. Whatever happens, you've never let a customer down! Just...pull yourself together. You're just getting in a tizz over nothing anyway…"

Rarity took deep, steady breaths as she felt the trains brakes engage, and the city once again burst into view. "Oh...This is going to be a long day…"

* * *

An ethereal blue wisp followed Luna as she paced back and forth across her drawing room, flanking her in faint trails of light. She glanced at her companion, who nodded back to her, then once more at the celestial clock over one wall. It displayed the age of the season, the position of planets and constellations, and also, if one looked really hard, the time.

 _Tick._

Luna flinched. With a sigh, she changed course, "Confound Celestia. Can she not force the sun to move any faster?!" She placed her hooves on the windowsill, looking out over Canterlot. As she watched the sun crawl through the sky, she growled to herself.

"Please just let her actually _get here._ "

Luna had inquired of every designer in Canterlot worthy of making a Royal gown, and not one had agreed to help her. Celestia was right, it seemed: To be the pony who dressed the Princesses was not honour enough to outweigh the risk of being the pony who tried and failed.

A knock on the door brought Luna out of her thoughts "Yes, enter!"

The door opened to reveal one of Luna's Thestral Guard, clad in dark armour and an even darker expression. She often wished they really would lighten up. He threw a stony salute and said, "Your Majesty, the train bearing your guest has arrived, and she is on her way to the location as you have instructed."

Luna's face lit up like the Hearths Warming tree that sat behind her at the news. _"So she came indeed!''_

"What will you have us do Your Majesty?" the guard asked, still saluting primly at his Princess.

Luna looked to her Thestral Guard and said, "I want you to escort her to me. I do not expect her to get into trouble in a city such as this, but getting lost is easy for one not accustomed to the city's layout."

With a crisp salute (always with the salutes), the batpony turned away, leaving Luna and her wisp alone to themselves. Luna continued her pace of the room, the wisp following her as she made her rounds.

"Oh, what am I to do?!" the Lunar Diarch groaned. "What if she doesn't like my ideas or doesn't wish to help me, as Celestia seems to think?"

The wisp's blue light blinked twice in union with each other.

"I know that, Wispy, but what if she thinks I'm too...oh, what is the phrase they use now? Olde fashioned?" Luna turned to her wisps a look of panic on her face.

The wisp blinked once and then flashed in three quick bursts.

"What do you mean there is no 'E' in Olde anymore? That is simply preposterous!" Luna stomped her hoof hard onto the tile that made up the floor, shaking the paintings that adorned the walls. "And what if she does! Tia told me how these dressmakers are now, Wispy!"

The wisp flashed again, circling the princess silently waiting for her to respond.

"You take that back right now! Celestia may partake in sweets every so often, but it is unkind of you to say that her...erm 'plot' has its own orbit!"

The wisp just ignored its princess and proceeded to blink around the room, almost as if it was mocking her.

"You take that back you useless fabrication of mana and void energy!" Luna shouted, chasing the wisp across the art gallery.

* * *

Rarity walked the streets of Canterlot. She held aloft with her magic the measurements that she had been given by her 'mystery' client; on the back of the measurements were written an address and directions on how to get to her client if she chose to accept the contract. Only, the directions led nowhere near anyplace she would have expected.

She was lost in thought when she bumped face first into something hard and metallic, falling to the cobblestone floors with an _'Oomph'._

"Oh, I am terribly sorry dear, I must simply watch where I'm go…" Rarity looked up away from the paper only to come face to face with one of the Lunar Guard.

"Do not worry yourself with one such as this one, Milady," he stated simply, lending a hoof to help the fallen mare up.

"Y...you..you." Rarity couldn't quite understand what she was feeling as she looked upon the bat-pony guard. Was it fear? Awe? Maybe a bit of both?

"Umm...Miss, did this one break you?" the guard asks, waving his hoof in front of the starstruck deva's face.

Rarity shook her head, snapping out of her trance. "I am sorry, dear, what did you say your name was?" she said trying to recover from the embarrassment she just experienced.

"This one didn't," The thestral stated simply as he began walking forward.

"Oh," Rarity followed him "are you here to show me to the Princess?" she asked politely, quickly trying to regain the conversation and any shred of dignity she had left.

"That is correct. She waits for you yonder in the highest tower of the castle." The stallion used his bat like wings to point out the tower. "We walk there now and we walk with great haste as to not be late."

Rarity expected that when he said haste and walk in the same sentence that he meant a brisk trot, but when he began to sprint forward unexpectedly she was forced to follow suit.

"W..wait!" She shouted while she ran after the stallion.

"You must keep up with us! Our princess awaits!" he shouted behind him ignoring his supposed charge's complaints.

After running for thirty minutes, the pair finally made it to the tower entrance where Rarity collapsed and the batstallion stood, holding a stoic look.

"Milady, why do you lay on the floor after our walk? The cursed ball of light is still high in the sky and it is not yet time for napping." The guard cocked his head, looking down upon the fallen unicorn.

Rarity stood and glared at the guard. "Are you daft? That was not a walk! That wasn't even a jog! Of course I'd rest after running non-stop from the train station to wherever it is we are now!" she yelled.

If the guard understood what she had been saying, he didn't show it, but he merely pointed the way with his wing. "Through this door is our princess, please refrain from shouting while in her presence."

Rarity huffed and proceeded through the door. "Well, at least the princess will be more sophisticated and polite than you were, ruffian!" She didn't look back when she entered the doorway, but if she had, she would of seen the thestral guard sticking his tongue out at her.

Rarity went on her way up the stairs, noticing the fine art that hung across the walls and the beautiful decorations that represented hearth's warming so well. From the wreaths to the lights that adorned the railings, she was so lost in thought when she made it to the door that held Princess Luna's cutie mark, and she was surprised to see that no guard stood post outside of it.

"Okay, Rarity, go over the usual list before you knock," she whispered to herself. "Mane? check. Coat? Fabulous. Supplies?" She rummaged through her saddlebags. "Also check. Okay, you can do this."

Lifting her hoof, she slowly began to bring it down to the door when a loud crash from inside the room was heard.

"GET BACK HERE!" a voice yelled from the other side.

A blue ball of light came through the door stopping in front of the stunned fashionista. It floated in front of her for a moment before flying away.

"What in the world?" Rarity turned to look at the wisp and then back toward the door just in time to see it burst open to reveal an irate and disheveled-looking Princess Luna.

"P..P..Princess Luna!" Rarity stammered out, falling over onto her back side.

Luna ignored the fashionista, her eyes looking around the room, trying to find the wisp that had offended her so. After what seemed like hours, Luna finally looked down towards the fallen unicorn. "Ahh, Rarity, I am sorry for that little display. It seems one of my wisps has yet to learn it's place."

Rarity stood and smiled politely at the princess. "It's quite alright, Your Majesty," she chuckled a little. "It hasn't been the first time I've fallen over today after all."

Luna looked the unicorn mare over, noticing how sweaty and messy she looked. "Quite. I assume the guard I sent is the reason for this?"

"Oh...yes… _him_." Rarity almost growled the words as her face visibly darkened. "He had me run all the way from the train station to here, and he called that a walk!"

Luna snickered. "He must have been one of the newer guards. The recruits are always overzealous in helping their Princess," she explained, moving out of the way to allow Rarity entrance into her room.

"Please, come in and put your things down and then we can get to business," Luna explained as a brush floated up too her hair and began brushing.

"Would you like anything to eat? I have a fridge in the back. Help yourself."

"Oh, I wouldn't want to impo…" Rarity began, but the growling of her stomach cut her off with a blush.

"Go and grab anything you like, Rarity," Luna said, turning to the mirror. "I restocked it for this occasion, and it'd be a shame for anything in there to be wasted."

Rarity complied and grabbed something from the fridge, thanking the princess for her hospitality. Rarity placed her saddle bags on the work desk as she continued to look around Luna's room.

On the ceiling above was a mural of the night sky, the moon and stars shone beautifully as if it was night time already, shooting stars and comets streaked across the painting, and Rarity couldn't help but be amazed.

The walls were adorned with paintings of famous ponies from Celestia to Princess Platinum and Starswirl the Bearded. Rarity noticed a painting of Shining Armor and Cadence sat unfinished on an easel.

"Ahh yes," Luna noticed Rarity's inquisitiveness, "that painting is my hearth's warming gift to Shining Armor and Cadence. It was meant to be their wedding gift but the changeling invasion and the political backlash from it prevented me from finishing it."

"You are an excellent artist, your Majesty," Rarity complimented, still starstruck with the many pieces of fine art throughout the room.

"Please, call me Luna! We are fellow artists, and as such, you may refer to me by my name, not my title," the Princess beamed, "and thank you. I had been worried that my prolonged exile might have made my hoof and horn rusty to the fine arts. I'm glad that somepony shares my love of it."

"You were an artist before your, umm...incident?" Rarity asked a bit, worried that she might have opened up old wounds.

"Aye, I was. My special talent, while it pertains to the night sky, is in reality a symbol of my talent for the fine arts," Luna explained. "Lifting the moon and stars into the night sky is just a form of art, and It is one I have mastered after many years of practice."

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Yes, I see what you mean. I take it Princess Celestia's cutie mark is the same way?" Rarity asked, but at the same time, her mind raced. _'How am I talking so casually with her?'_ she thought. _'When I speak to her sister I'm never this casual!'_

"Tia's Cutie mark is well a bit harder to explain I'm afraid," Luna sighed. "You should ask her when you see her at the ball in three days when we present our gift to her."

This caused Rarity's train of thought to come crashing to a stop. "Our g-gift?"

"Yes, our gift. As in, you and I." Luna smiled. "I assume you got the measurements that I sent you?" Rarity nodded a bit numbly. She had thought that Celestia had sent them, but it was starting to make sense.

 _'If Celestia had sent the measurements then Spike would have come to give them to me'_ Rarity thought.

"Yes, I have them." Rarity's magic brought the measurements before Luna.

"Very good. Now then, this is supposed to be a bit of a surprise for her, and seeing as we only have three days until the pageant, we should get to work right away."

"Umm... 'we'? Shouldn't I be the one doing the work your Majes...I mean Luna?" Rarity asked in confusion.

Luna looked at the fashionista. "Yes, we. I am not a stranger to the art of dressmaking, and while I am a bit..old fashioned, I can still be of some help."

Rarity was tempted to say to the princess that she didn't need help, that she was fine and that she could do it on her own, but she knew she couldn't deny the princess, especially since it was a gift for her sister.

"Very well then," Rarity started with a smile. "Shall we get started?"

Luna smiled. "Yes we shall!" Her horn shined brightly, and with a flash of indigo, the room suddenly sprang to life. Quills and ink floated behind the lunar princess, the paintings on the wall cleared away as new paper took their place.

"Now then," Luna began, "our sister is not a picky mare so we should have a good amount of free reign whilst designing the dress." Luna began to draw on the paper. "I was thinking something festive that relates to the holiday." Luna turned to Rarity and showed her the sketch. "Something like this maybe?"

Rarity squinted her eyes at the sketch. It was crude and in all honesty, not very good. The lines were off, and the "dress" looked as if it had been drawn by a foal.

"Your Majesty, not to question your talents, but that doesn't look like a dress," Rarity bluntly commented.

"What do you mean? Can you not clearly see that it is a fine work of art!" The Lunar princess almost slipped back into the royal Canterlot voice.

"O-oh, indeed, Your Majesty!" Rarity stammered, staggering back. "But...but if I may be so bold, I feel I may be more abreast of current t-trends, so...if I may, I could...h-help you? Modify your sketch somewhat?"

Luna noticed the unicorn now trembling on her drawing room's floor, and relented. "Well, you have indeed made a craft of this so...be my guest."

"T-thank you, Your Majesty." Rarity stepped up to the drawing and cast a critical eye over it, then she tentatively reached into her saddlebag and brought out a fine charcoal stick. It started with minor alterations. Strokes and lines over Luna's original sketch. A swirl here, a croup there. It only took five minutes, but by the time Rarity stepped back, there was little of Luna's original sketch left.

"Clearly the meaning of 'somewhat' has changed in the last thousand years," Luna commented dryly.

"Oh! well…" Rarity blushed slightly at her overzealous work, "I'm sorry, but you can see where I'm going with this. Only, forgive me, but these measurements aren't exactly...correct, I don't think."

"That is because they aren't," Luna plainly stated with an embarrassed smile of her own. "I may have used some...as ponies say it now...guesstimation."

Rarity gasped in exasperation, throwing her charcoal stick into the air, "What?! These aren't Celestia's measurements? I knew that waistline seemed a few sizes small!" She ground to a halt there, realizing too late what she was saying, and she turned to face Luna's bemused look with a more ladylike tone. "Ahem, I'm sorry, Luna, but I can't really design a dress for the _Matriarch of the Nation_ without proper measurements."

Luna's glare only deepened "Are you implying that our sister is pregnant?" The Lunar Diarch asked, her voice cold and anger slightly creeping into it's tone.

"W...what? Oh no no no!" Rarity stammered waving her hoofs frantically. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant that she's like a mother to us all, yeah that's it!" Rarity's blush only intensified as she continued to try and stammer out explanations.

Princess Luna's eyes softened a little bit. "Yes, well then," Luna backed away from her guest for a moment, tapping her hoof to her chin. "Since we cannot go to my sister for her measurements, nor go to her seamstresses without drawing attention to ourselves…" Luna's eyes sparkled with an understanding. As her smile grew, she turned to Rarity and shouted, "Measure me in her place!"

Rarity froze. When she had been back in Ponyville, safe in her boutique, the thought of making a dress for one of the Princesses had crossed her mind, leaving her uncomfortable. Now she was in Canterlot, in the drawing room of said Princess, making a dress for the other Princess, about to measure a Pri-

Rarity's mind locked up.

"...I'm going to need a longer tape measure..."

"What do you mean by that?" Luna asked looking back at her hind quarters "I am not quite as...endowed as my sister, Rarity"

"Noooo! Nonono, not what I meant at all, Your Majesty!" Rarity babbled like a popped balloon, "Meant nothing about your barrel, if anything you are fetchingly slim! I meant more to your long legs - gracefully long! I would never insinuate you were any less than beautiful!'

The room was disturbingly silent as those word's left the seamstresses muzzle, Rarity's face was beet red, and she looked as if she was about to choke on pure embarrassment. Luna thanked her mother for giving her the dark coat that she had been born with. Even Wispy returned to stare at the sudden heavy quiet

The blue wisp suddenly decided to break the silence by making a variety of whistles while Luna cocked her head slightly in confusion.

"What do you mean I should tell her she looks beautiful...too…?" Luna's strangled voice continued into the now palpably awkward atmosphere. "Blast you, Wispy…"

Rarity shuffled awkwardly as she stood to the left of the giant scorch mark against the wall. "Luna, I'm so terribly sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine, you j-just surprised me-" Luna tried.

"But I should have warned you that I would be measuring you there, and I'm not familiar with Alicorns-"

"It's fine really, it was just...cold." Luna looked at the blackened hole in the plaster, then up at her own horn. "I must admit, I may have overreacted slightly."

"Slightly…" Rarity muttered as she shuffled even more awkwardly, "Um...would you mind if I…? I mean, I do really need that particular measurement…"

Luna gave a long-suffering sigh and turned around, exposing her left rear leg to Rarity's scrutiny. "Indeed. I shall persevere."

Rarity tremulously hooked the one end of the tape measure under Luna's hoof and drew it up to the middle of the Lunar Princess's velveteen cutie mark. "So, that's that one done…" Luna nodded and Rarity withdrew to take the next set of numbers, "Now, to measure the," she gulped, "...inside…this may be cold. Try not to kill me, please."

"I make no such promises." Luna turned her head to face her friend and stuck her tongue out with another witticism, but a knock on the door caused Rarity and Luna to jump a bit.

"Wispy, check who that is for me please?" The wisp obeyed it's master's commands and went to check the door.

Somewhere in Ponyville, one Pinkie Pie suddenly had a massive attack of the trembles and started checking for violently swinging doors.

Wispy was very lucky to be only a magical projection, because had he been anything more solid, he would have become part of the wallpaper. The loud bang of the chamber door surprised Luna and Rarity, who froze in their respective positions, Rarity still in the act of measuring Luna's inner leg, and Luna caught turning a slighter darker shade of blue as she saw the form of her sister in the doorway.

"Good afternoon, Luna! The guard informed me you were still up at this hour, and to receive a visitor. I just had to come down and see what was so...oh my…"

"Um...g-good day, Princess Celestia," Rarity greeted politely from around Luna's body.

"Good day to you as well, miss," Celestia answered awkwardly before leaning around to see the curled purple mane a bit better. Her eyes widened. "Rarity?!"

Luna tried to gather her wits, stuck between leaping away like a scared puppy or staring down her sibling. Since she was pretty much frozen anyway, she chose the latter. "So, Tia, any particular reason you decided to visit, other than to slam my door on my Companion?"

"W-well, I...' Celestia stuttered a little, "I just wanted to see what it was you were..up to." Rarity was so surprised to see the Wielder of the Eternal Flame in such a state that she couldn't help but let out a suppressed giggle. This did not help the matter at all.

As Luna began a muttered excuse, Wispy worked his way free of the door and overrode her with a rapid series of clicks, squeaks and flashes that, even to Rarity, sounded very…lewd.

Celestia's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She looked at the wisp, then at her sister who was now blushing enough to risk an aneurysm, and then at the smaller, quiet unicorn standing with her hooves in...places on her sister's body. The Princess of the sun blanched.

"I...I um just came to see if you and your...guest wished to join me for supper?" Celestia stammered, trying to compose herself in front of one of her subjects and one of Twilight's closests friends.

"Um, I'm sure that could be arranged." Luna looked back at Rarity, who nodded her silent assent. Luna turned back to Celestia. "That should be fine. What time would you like us to come?"

Celestia nearly choked on her tongue as she backed away, "Oh, no, t-take your time~!"

Luna shouted down the empty doorway, "Around seven, then?" She turned back to Rarity with a confused shrug. "What do you think has her in such a state?"

Rarity failed to answer, as she was too busy trying desperately not to either laugh herself to death of pass out from sheer embarrassment.

Rarity dropped the tap. She had just finished adding the final line to the parchment. "It's finally done," she exclaimed, hoofing it to the lunar princess, "What do you think Your Majesty?"

Luna looked the design over, her blue eyes judging and scrutinizing. The princess put the parchment down and stared at Rarity for a good while, making the seamstress feel even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"Do...do you like it?" Rarity asked.

"Is this the sort of thing you design regularly?" Luna asked tonelessly.

"Umm...yes?" Rarity squeaked.

"In that case, I just can't understand how…"

"Yes?!" Rarity was barely audible by this point.

"Well, why aren't your designs completely world renowned by now?" Luna asked, perplexed. "Sure a design this beautiful is in demand the world over?"

Rarity levelled a deadpan stare at the Lunar Princess. "Wait, so...well then, I'm glad you like it…"

Luna completely missed the unicorn's terse reply as she answered, "You misunderstand, dear Rarity, I do not simply like it," she looked the fashionista square in the eyes. "I love it! Though, I would like to change my previous order if thats not too much trouble."

"Wait, what?" Rarity's jaw dropped. "B-but how can you change your order now? I've already designed a ball gown! And I don't think either of us want to attempt remeasuring!"

"No no, I do not wish to 'change' the order as in change the design, no. I want to ask if you could make two of these lovely gowns, one for my sister," Luna leaned in close to Rarity muzzles nearly touching, "and one for me."

Wispy, floating in the corner by the door, made a few soft cooing noises and flew up to one of the lanterns, its blue shade deepening to a sensual purple, bathing the whole room in the soft light. With a soft click and crackle, he started playing a slow, classical tune. The sort usually played by private violinists at dinner dates, Rarity noted.

Luna looked over to the wisp with a scowl. "Why in the name of the nine holds of Tartarus do you have that song memorized…." she growled.

Rarity blushed yet again and glanced aside at the clock, "Oh, look at the time, we should be getting ready to go, should we not?"

Luna looked over as well, then cocked her head in confusion. "But we have over an hour left…?"

She was cut off by the slam of a door further down the hall.

Luna walked over and sat by the door in question, smirking.

Not twenty seconds later, Rarity backed out of the broom closet, a rag caught on her horn.

"...That wasn't the bathroom, was it?"

"I'm so glad that you could join us for dinner, Rarity."

Rarity twiddled her hooves under the cotton table cloth. Luna sat across from her, looking uncomfortable, and Celestia sat at the head, smiling so benignly it looked painful. Rarity was not the only one who noticed that Luna was not seated at the foot, where she should have been. But given that this was a private meal in the Princesses' shared private dining room, there could be any number of reasons for that...right?

"Oh, the pleasure is mine, Your Majesty," Rarity said with a forced smile.

"I'm sure it was, Rarity." Celestia winked to the young unicorn as she took a sip of her tea.

Luna coughed so hard she nearly disintegrated her appetizer.

Rarity tilted her head in confusion. "Whatever do you mean Princess?" she asked.

Celestia just chuckled as she swirled her tea. "Oh nothing my dear," she stole a quick glance of her sister, "nothing at all."

"Well!" Luna cut in. "How are you enjoying the appetizer, Rarity?" Luna asked with a smile that was perhaps a bit too big for its own good.

"Oh, it's quite enjoyable. But I'd rather save myself, since I did eat already," Rarity commented politely.

"Hmm, so I saw," Celestia muttered into her tea.

"Tia!" Luna growled. "That was below the belt."

"Yes, it was. I saw that too…" Celestia grinned.

Luna cast an evil eye at her sister. "How do you do that with everything I say?"

Celestia shrugged casually, "It's a gift."

"It's a curse…" Luna muttered under her breath.

"Oh! I just remembered," Celestia exclaimed in a sing-song voice, "I hope you'll excuse me, I need to go water my tortoise." And with that, Celestia stood and took her leave, downing the last of her tea in a very unlady like manner.

As the door closed, Rarity stopped fiddling with the tablecloth and looked up, looking ever so slightly scared. "What...just happened?"

"Clearly you have not spent a large amount of time with _my dear sister_ " Luna groaned.

"I...I just don't…" Rarity's eye twitched. "I never thought I'd see a _Princess_ acting like that, even in private."

Luna chuckled and pushed her food around on her plate. "Well, you must understand, Rarity, A Princess must always act refined and calm in public. This is one of the few moment's that Tia gets to be herself infront of somepony besides myself or Cadence. Even Twilight Sparkle has rarely seen this side of my sister, and I know a lot of ponies have trouble seeing this, but...we're ponies too."

A call echoed down the hall from the distance. "And ponies have needs!'

Luna turned and shouted down the hall, "Silence yourself Sister! Or I will come and do it for you!"

"I'm pretty sure there's somepony else more-"

"WE SHALL COME DOWN THERE AND FORCE THAT TORTOISE DOWN THY THROAT!"

In the sudden silence that followed Luna's outburst, Rarity could be heard to mutter dryly, "Oh Luna, this is a side to you I just haven't seen before…"

"We..I am sorry for that. My sister likes to tease us...I mean me." Luna suddenly took an interest in the tablecloth as she stared down upon the table.

"Well, not without reason, I'm afraid," Rarity stated sadly. "Today has been...strange. Very."

"Oh," Luna looked down at the table, blinking. "I'm sorry you did not enjoy it, But it is understandable…"

"No no!" Rarity cried out for politeness' sake, though when she paused for breath, she realized it was not untrue; she _had_ enjoyed spending time with the second most powerful pony in the whole of Equestria. But more importantly, she had enjoyed spending time with Luna, the pony. "Despite the oddities, it was still a most pleasant afternoon. Of course, maybe next time we could settle for something a bit less exposing." Rarity lifted her cup of tea to her lips and took a sip before she realized just what she'd said. Suddenly Luna the pony looked very much like Luna the Princess, and the Princess was giving her a very questioning look.

So was Wispy. Throughout the meal he'd merely been floating around near Luna, but now he dashed down, rapidly blinking and beeping.

Luna frowned and looked to the wisp with ire in her eyes. "How dare you!" her magic flaring out around her horn. Wrapping the wisp in her aura, she tossed it out of the window and shouted, "Stay out, you ungrateful whelp!"

Rarity blinked owlishly at the haphazard display. "Um, forgive me, Princess. I've been meaning to ask you all afternoon...what precisely is that…'Wispy'?"

"Wispy," Luna began, turning her attention back to her guest, "is a ball of mana and void energy. He - or rather it - acts as my companion. I'm actually quite proud of him." Luna looked out of the window at the wisp gently thumping into the pane every now and again. "It is a spell that projects a separate entity from the caster's mind, creating an embodied tulpa."

"A projection of your own consciousness?" Rarity asked slowly.

Luna shifted slightly, uncomfortable,"Y-yes?"

"So that means all of the...unsightful things that it was saying were actually what you were thinking?" Rarity questioned, a blush forming slowly over her features.

Luna refrained from answering, but her own cheeks turning a deep shape of purple was a dead giveaway. "Wispy is not for polite company…"

Rarity raised an eyebrow at this and chuckled slightly. "What kind of company is he for then, if I may be so bold?"

"In times of need, he is my companion. It is rare these days to find a pony willing to talk with one such as me without bowing, scraping, crawling, or trying to beg a villa from me. It gets quite tiresome at times. After all Night Court gets tedious after the fifth noble brat comes and asks for an audience with my sister, even when it is obvious that she is sleeping. I mean her snores can be heard from MY room."

Rarity chuckled politely into her napkin, but she couldn't hold it. Soon she was laughing uproariously at the absurdity of it while Luna joined in.

The two barely managed to control themselves as the butlers brought out their main course. Neither noticed nor cared that Celestia never did return, and they sat together, enjoying their meal and company into the night.

Rarity sat on the balcony, her forehooves perilously close to the edge of Luna's tower, looking out over the city. Even the most beautiful night must give way to the dawn, and light seeping into the horizon made it clear that this one was nearly at an end.

Luna walked up behind the fashionista and smiled. "It seems we are in store for a beautiful sunrise."

Rarity turned to her princess. "Perhaps. But even though I do enjoy the morning sun, I can't help but feel sad the night is over."

Luna paused for a moment, then sat down beside Rarity on the edge of the balcony. "Oh?" she began, "and why is that?"

Rarity looked back into Luna's apartments behind them, at the two equinniquins posed in the center of the room amidst the offcuts and scraps that had been removed from the two gorgeous gowns they had made, and then back at Luna. Rarity couldn't help but smile. "So many beautiful things were made this night."

Luna looked away with a small smile, finding something very interesting on the marble floor. "Indeed. I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work through the night, though you hardly needed to push yourself so far."

"Not at all, Your Majesty," Rarity said, smirking as Luna's ears flicked in annoyance at the title. "I must say the task, as arduous as it may have been, was made immeasurably easier by the company."

Luna smiled sheepishly, looking askance at the unicorn beside her. "Certainly. I-it's been a very long while since I've had someone other than Wispy for company."

Rarity mock-frowned and nudged Luna's shoulder with her own. "Well, I certainly hope I was better company than that rude little fiend!"

Luna's ears splayed back in hurt, unsure as she replied, "Rarity, as I told you once before, Wispy is just a self projection. In a way, his thoughts are mine, and-"

Rarity chucked and looked at Luna, drawing the Princesses, eye. Rarity leaned in and smiled, "Oh, but you do wear them so much better, darling."

Luna froze in surprise as Rarity softly kissed her cheek, a warm feeling spreading through her. She turned and looked into the blue eyes of the pony she'd spent her night with, realizing she wouldn't mind spending many more just the same.

A small blue flashing light started beeping excitedly over the edge of the balcony, speaking so boldly even Rarity blushed furiously. Luna looked at the bright ball of mana, and then at Rarity. She turned back to the Void Entity, grinning.

"I think I can take it from here, Wispy."

As Rarity was about to ask what she meant, Luna spun back and leaped towards Rarity, planting a kiss onto the surprised fashionista's lips, pushing her over onto her back. Rarity was returning it before she even hit the ground.

When they finally came up for air, Luna blinked, finding herself standing over Rarity. The white unicorn smiled up at Luna with half lidded eyes, holding the Princess in place. "Oh, you _do_ wear it well…"

* * *

 **Author's Notes: This was my first romance over on fimfiction and while I am proud of it's length the story is old, it was originally posted to back in 2014, I hope you all enjoy it and please leave reviews and comments, if you see anything wrong with the story point it out to me, I can take it, I'm a big boy.**


End file.
